Hollywood Heist: Celtics Steal One As Lakers Choke in Game 4

With the score 35-14, the Los Angeles Lakers took a twenty-one point first quarter lead—the largest in NBA Finals history. At the end of the second quarter, Jordan Farmar banked in a three-pointer to maintain an 18-point lead at halftime.

However, when Los Angeles led by 20 with 6:04 left in the third quarter, the collapse of the Lakers began. By outscoring the Lakers, 31-15, in the third quarter, the Celtics cut the lead to two entering the fourth quarter.

By then, the Lakers had lost their composure, and the resilient Celtics finished the comeback on an Eddie House jumper with 4:03 left to take their first lead in the game. Upon taking the lead, the Celtics sucked the energy out the Staples Center and rode their momentum to a Game Four win, 97-91.

So how did the Celtics come back to complete the one of the greatest comebacks in NBA Finals history?

They won this game by locking down the Lakers on defense, getting Ray Allen and role players step up, and riding a clutch second half by Paul Pierce. The ultimate collapse of the Lakers was due to a lack defensive intensity, poor shot selection, and even worse ball movement.

The Celtics defense shut down the Lakers for the entire second half. They outscored L.A., 57-33, after giving up 58 points in the first half.

Paul Pierce limited Kobe Bryant to a pedestrian 17 points, while the Celtics held down the Lakers' role players to 6-for-26 shooting, effectively making them a collective non-factor in the second half.

The Celtics stunted the triangle offense by taking Lamar Odom out of the game. Kevin Garnett cramped down on Pau Gasol in the second half and eliminated the Lakers post-up game. As they had done throughout the regular season and the rest of the playoffs, the Celtics used their NBA-leading defense to shut down the Lakers.

Offensively, the Celtics propelled their scoring with the rise of some unusual factors. James Posey proved to be hot behind the arc and stepped up with 18 critical points off the bench. Eddie House made some critical shots, including the one that gave the Celtics the lead, to pitch in 11 points.

Ray Allen continued his consistency throughout the Finals, playing all 48 minutes and willing his team throughout the game with big shot after big shot. He iced the Celtics victory by shredding the Laker defense with an easy lay-up past Sasha Vujacic with under a minute to play. Overall, the Celtics stepped up their game and made every big play in the second half to steal the game.

On the other side, the Lakers completed the biggest choke in NBA Finals history. Up by 18 at halftime, the Lakers continued to be as complacent as they were after taking a 24-point lead in the second quarter.

They passed the ball like a hot potato, and their poor ball movement led to sloppy turnovers and rushed shots at the end of the shot clock. The Lakers also had poor shot selection and deferred from driving to the basket to settle for three-pointers and fade-away jump shots.

Lamar Odom disappeared from the game, scoring only six points after the first quarter. The supposedly more talented Lakers bench was badly outplayed by the Celtics and struggled to hit a shot in the second half.

Ultimately, it was the porous defense of the Lakers in the fourth quarter that did them in. Poor moves such as fouling Paul Pierce behind the three-point line and allowing wide-open layups and three-pointers to Boston's role players proved to be disastrous. Allen's final drive to the basket past Vujacic summarized the Lakers' poor defensive effort in one play.

In an attempt to inspire his team, Lakers coach Phil Jackson said at his press conference that this is just another game, and he telling his players that the series is not over. The reality is the Lakers squandered their chance in this series. No team has ever come back from a 3-1 deficit in NBA Finals history. It's not going to be any easier with the final two games of the series, if they're even necessary, set to be played in Boston.

Judging by the way the Lakers have played in this series, they will not break this streak, and most likely not be able to win in Boston (if they even get there). These type of games scar the psyche of a team, and the Lakers seem to lack the resiliency and ability to beat the more talented and mentally tougher Boston Celtics.

On the bright side for Lakers fans, there is always next year for this rising young team which has improved from a first-round after thought to a championship contender.